An Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation is examining whether Metropolitan Police officers’ treatment of families bereaved by a fatal 2023 school crash was influenced by race, with eleven officers facing possible gross misconduct allegations over “false and misleading information” provided to victims.
The IOPC probe centres on the handling of investigations into the July 2023 incident when a Land Rover Defender smashed through fencing into The Study Preparatory School in south-west London, killing eight-year-olds Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau during an end-of-year tea party.
Families have described their lives as “irreparably shattered” whilst accusing the Met of failing them, with Nuria’s mother Smera Chohan—facing a fifth leg surgery from injuries sustained in the same crash—demanding answers: “I really want to understand why I have been treated so cruelly, unfairly and in an inhumane way.”
“I’m just saying, ‘do it right’. It’s been left hanging for three years and that isn’t right,” Ms Chohan stated, whilst father Sajjad Butt said the family had been “not protected” and “left out in the cold” by the force.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe confirmed the watchdog is investigating “complaints about the standard of the investigation, including its management and direction, the conduct of the investigation team, and their engagement with the victims.”
Four serving officers—holding ranks of commander, detective chief inspector, detective sergeant and detective constable—alongside a former detective inspector face gross misconduct level investigation, with two additional detective constables under misconduct-level scrutiny.
The Metropolitan Police reopened its investigation last October following internal review, resulting in driver Claire Freemantle’s January re-arrest despite the Crown Prosecution Service initially declining criminal charges after determining the 48-year-old suffered an undiagnosed epileptic seizure with no crash recollection.
Ms Freemantle, who expressed her “deepest sorrow,” was first arrested on the incident day but prosecutors ruled against charges—a decision families contested as stemming from a “flawed” and “poor” investigation conducted without thoroughness.
The CPS confirmed receiving a full evidence file from the Met whilst seeking legal advice this week, though “further factors” require consideration before determining whether charges can proceed, with families informed Friday that a decision should arrive by April’s end.
A Tuesday meeting between families and CPS is scheduled providing updates on prosecutorial considerations.
The bereaved families’ statement emphasised their unwavering pursuit of accountability: “We have always sought the truth, and will continue to champion the pursuit of complete clarity on the events of that devastating day and subsequent actions taken by the Metropolitan Police. The truth must come to light.”
Commander Charmain Brenyah, leading the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, acknowledged the “prolonged process has compounded their grief and suffering,” confirming full cooperation with the IOPC investigation.
